


The Shortcut

by cutlawquane



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Emotions, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Mother-Son Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2016-09-08
Packaged: 2018-08-13 19:46:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7983919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutlawquane/pseuds/cutlawquane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hera catches up with Ezra after the events on Malachor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Shortcut

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gondalsqueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gondalsqueen/gifts).



> A gift to my awesome beta reader Gondalsqueen. I miss you, come back! Only a few weeks now until the new season!

“Ezra!” Hera cried, chasing after him down the hallway.

Ezra stomped off without heeding her call.

“Ezra,” Hera panted as she caught up to him on the ramp of the Ghost. Ezra finally made eye contact with her but quickly turned away.

Hera shut her eyes and took a deep breath. “Talk to me.”

The Padawan, more of a man now than a boy, walked off the ship without acknowledging Hera’s presence.

The sun was setting on Atollon, painting the sky a burning orange which would eventually fade to a dim red. Hera followed Ezra past the barracks out towards the perimeter of the Rebel base. In the distance, Hera could see the stalking shapes of the Krykna spiders prowling around the base.

Ezra said nothing as he walked yet Hera felt compelled to follow him.

He finally came to a stop in a secluded area facing out away from the camp. The young Padawan sat in the dirt, hands on his knees in a meditative pose.

Hera stood behind him for a moment surveying the horizon. It was a beautiful sight but the red in the sky only served as a reminder of the recent devastation on Malachor. She took a deep breath and turned to leave Ezra in peace.

“Wait,” Ezra said, his voice calmer than Hera was expecting.

Hera turned around and forced a smile. Ezra stood up and walked over to her. He glanced periodically at the floor, uncertain of how to begin.

“Hera, it was my fault,” Ezra said softly. “I trusted Maul. It’s my fault that Kanan is… hurt.”

Hera gulped. Kanan’s scorched eyes when she removed his bandages will forever pain her in ways that no physical wound could.

“It wasn’t your fault,” she said as assuredly as she could manage. “You didn’t do this.”

“How about Ahsoka then?” Ezra continued, shaking his head. “We left her.”

“She made her choice. A choice to protect both of you,” Hera said.

Ezra fell silent, turning to look at the burning sky instead.

Hera sighed. “It might be best for us to lay low for a while until Kanan is better. Tell me more about what you found out on Malachor.”

“Nothing really. Just this,” Ezra said, holding out a small glowing red prism. “It’s a Sith holocron… supposedly. I haven’t been able to open it yet. It’s useless.”

“I’m sure you and Kanan will figure out how it works,” Hera said encouragingly.

“How can you be so optimistic all the time?” Ezra said, staring up into her eyes looking for answers Hera couldn’t provide.

“I…” Hera stammered. “I don’t know. I just want to help. I want to know how to help you and Kanan.”

Ezra moved closer and gave Hera a consoling hug. She felt a single lone tear stream down her cheek and fall onto his unruly mop of blue hair.

“He loves you. You know that, right?” Ezra murmured.

Hera pulled him in tighter. “I wasn’t ready to let him go,” she whispered in Ezra’s ear. “I’m still not.”

Ezra’s body trembled against hers. She felt more tears fall from her eyes despite her determination to be the pillar of support that he needed.

“What are we going to do?” Ezra said quietly, extricating himself from Hera’s embrace.

“What we’ve always done,” Hera said, wiping her eyes. “Fight. Fight for Kanan. Fight for Sabine and Zeb. Fight for everyone that we love.”

Ezra nodded solemnly. He twirled the holocron around in his hand and gripped it tightly.

“For Kanan,” he echoed.

Hera smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. “We should get back. The others might get worried if we’re gone too long.”

“Hera,” Ezra interrupted. “There’s something I’d like you to help me with.”

Hera nodded as she led Ezra back to the base. A sly grin began to spread across her face as she listened to his request.

***

“Why didn’t you get Sabine do it?” Hera said, standing back to admire her work.

Ezra stood up confidently, running his hands through his now buzzed hair. He grinned as he gazed into the mirror of the refresher.

“Because my hair would probably be orange or something, or she’d put some Kalevalan gel in it,” Ezra said. “I also want to surprise her.”

“Surprise her how?” Hera asked.

“She’s been talking about getting a new hairstyle herself lately. I figured I’d beat her to it and encourage her to try something new.”

“You sure it isn’t because she accused you of having no appreciation of style when you laughed at her new armor design?” Hera prodded.

“Uhh...” Ezra stammered. “Not that. Definitely not that.”

“It looks good,” Hera said with a smile. “You should show Kanan.”

_She said it before she realized._

Ezra swallowed uncomfortably. An awkward silence enveloped them.

“He’s still your master,” Hera said tentatively. “He cares for you and will want to know what’s going on with you.”

“Yeah, I know,” Ezra said. “I just… I don’t know how to be when I’m around him now. He always insists he’s fine and just tries to act like it’s the same. Except, it’s not. Sometimes he doesn’t seem to be in the moment and when he is...”

Hera looked down at the floor sadly. “I think the best thing might be to give him time to adjust. We just have to be there for him and he’ll come around eventually.”

“I hope you’re right,” Ezra said.

“I hope so too,” Hera replied.


End file.
